Stay down, stay hidden, and please God Britt Stay quiet baby
by AES-LOATS
Summary: Set during the school shooting, can Santana stay strong while Britt needs her?


Wiping beneath her eyes with already soaked through tissue, trying in a vain attempt to hide the shed tears that had marked her pale skin, as she took a shaky breath making eye contact with herself within the mirror she didn't recognise the person staring back at her. Her eyes having dimmed, hardened, aged, her face no longer holding the joy that once radiated from her fully.

Brittany S. Pierce had done what she'd always imagined impossible for her. She'd hurt someone's feelings, and not just anyone. - Someone she once imagined a life with. Sam.

With everything going on in her life recently things and feelings had come to light that she was sure to be dead and buried, she couldn't carry on lying to herself or him and remaining in a relationship doomed to fail. Which was how she come to find herself in the girls bathroom as Glee was beginning. - Hearing the door open and seeing two fellow Cheerios enter, she offered them a weak smile, which they returning as she carried on attempting to make herself presantable.

Ending it with Sam had intially been easier than she'd expected, well in all fairness to the boy he'd just taken it in his stride, the hope for a future still sparkling away in his eyes. That gesture alone was why she was in this predicament, she remembered when she herself had that look, and so many more. - She wished more than anything to have it back, but even within her own strange mind she knew it was a pipe dream.

Taking a shaky breath and straightening herself from where she'd been almost nose to the mirror, one hand tossed the rolled up saturated loo roll into the nearby bin while her other fished out her mobile phone, glancing down at the screen as she directed through the screens coming across a simple name, number and photo memory. Santana. Her finger lingering above the green phone symbol as she debated what to do next.

With a grin she made her decision, just as the loud bang echoed through the halls of her beloved school, her face instantly shifting from confusion to utter fear as she heard her fellow school mates out in the hall scream and scramble for different directions, bolting to the middle cubicle and clambering to stand in a somewhat squat above the seat, her phone now being squeezed tightly within her grasp as she pressed into the cubicle wall. Unknown to Brittnay in her hast to get into her current position she'd dialled the number.

"Hey Stranger!" Sounded out loudly into the silent room, Brittnay's eyes widened further if possible in that position as a second, louder gunshot rang out in the now empty halls of McKinley. "Britt!" Came a louder response from the mobile device, Brittnay scrambling to shut the offending item up as it slipped from her grip and landed with a thud within the toilet bowl, glancing down as tears streamed down her face, she noticed by some miracle her phone had landed perfectly within the toilet, Santana's long since saved picture staring up at her from where it was balanced above the water, the seconds ticking upon the screen as Brittnay held her breath.

Santana whom had been laying on the sofa in Rachel and Kurt's as she'd recieved the blondes call, having heard the distinct noise and was now pacing the whole place, uncaring of the worried glances she was recieving: her whole body was wound tighter than a coil. Her knuckles turning white holding her phone, as she wracked her brain for what to say to her ex-girlfriend. Why had she dialed her now, was this during this awful ordeal? Or had the blonde done what she was famous for, and not thought before dialling Santana in one of the most dangerous positions a person could find themselves in?

"Britt, please answer me. What was that noise?" Santana hissed as quietly as she could down the line, the fear cracking at the words as she spoke them. Brittnay kept her face down, tears silently following the path they had earlier as the young blonde prayed she'd speak to Santana again, her smiling face upon the screen keeping the blonde quiet. "Stay down, stay hidden, and please God Britt. Stay quiet baby." Santana whispered so quietly in fact that if her speaker hadn't been pressed to the porcelain of the toilet bowl Brittnay was sure she'd never of heard it, forcing a sob out of the blondes mouth, trying her damned to do as instructed.

Shifting herself slightly as she felt her knee's trembling at this whole ordeal, her eyes clamping shut as she tried to focus on Santana's quiet but distinct erratic breathing on the line, reminding her that currently they were both alive and well. - Hurried footsteps broke this mind frame as they echoed around the silent school and grew louder, Brittnay once again finding herself holding her breath, until the loud thuds echoed into the distance a mere millisecond later. - Letting out a shaky breath which resulted in another choke of tears, her whole body slipping into shock as it trembled and faught against her will of remaining quiet and still. Just as Santana had begged.

"San..." She croaked rather pathetically as her eyes once again fixed upon the screen, the phone timer having only reached 2 minutes by this point, Santana let out a breath relieved to know that at this point the blonde was in fact still alive, even if she sounded miles away from the reciever right now. And hoped to God it stayed that way, "I know baby, but you need to stay quiet and safe. Please!" Santana whispered back, the pleading in her voice laced with raw emotion.

Lifting the hand that didn't have a death grip on her phone, Santana clenched her fist and pressed it to her lips holding back her own strangled sob, her eyes squeezing shut as she willed herself to remain strong right now. Willed all of her strength through the phone to Brittnay. The line remained silent bar from slight sniffles and struggled breaths. Santana's eyes suddenly shot open when she heard the distinct noise of the door slowly being opened, her fear filled eyes locked with Kurt's as she held her breath. Was she about to hear the worst?

Suddenly the line went dead with no further noise being heard. Santana deathly slowly pulled her phone away from her ear to see the now blank screen, her whole body shook with pure anger, and fear. "Brittnay." She shouted out at her phone as she darted over to where her things remained, grabbing her coat and purse and darting from the door as quick as her legs could carry her, leaving a bewildered Kurt and Rachel screaming after her. Her footsteps heavy and fast carrying her where she needed to be most of all, not caring who was in her way.

Brittnay however back in Lima, Ohio darted forward when a familar voice rung out speaking her name. Her whole body giving out on her once she'd reached Mr. Shue, relief and fear wracking her entire body at that second. Thankfully the older man was there in time to catch her, and shushed her quietly as the Cheerios she'd seen earlier slowly emerged as well. Mr Shue slowly explained that they were going to make their way back to the choir room, where they'd be safe. Brittnay still attached to her teacher nodded her head numbly and began to follow his lead.

The slow, careful walk to the choir room was mostly uneventful until they reached the door, Brittnay still having a death grip upon her teacher when she caught a glimpse of movement next to them. Her whole body felt like it was shutting down in that moment. Her heart slowing to an almost stopping rate, her eyes having run dry in that moment, as her life flashed before her eyes and all she saw was all the wonderful memories she'd had with Santana and the Glee club.

Feeling herself pulled forward and finally into a firm hug, Brittnay finally let the flood gates open as she clutched painfully tight to whoever had embraced her, the body she clung to repeatedly began whispering to the blonde that the movement was the police, and this would soon be over. Not that she could really make out the words, everything felt so far away and muffled.

And that's how the tall blonde stayed until they'd been given the all clear, not removing from Mr Schue the entire time, whom had kept a tight grip on her since entering the choir room. - He eventually ushered her into an awaiting car, and taking her home to her parents just like all the other students had already done. Everything from then on remained a blur, she was sure there had been more tears from her family and herself, exhustion eventually taking a hold of the youngest Pierce.

Blinking her stinging eyes open an undetermined time later, her whole body ached as she glanced around her own room, wondering how she'd gotten here. "She isn't well enough to recieve guests!" her father could be heard shouting at someone, the other person clearly took no notice as hurried steps approached her room. Suddenly Brittnay felt like she was back in that bathroom and quickly darted beneath her bed, flattening herself out as much as she could, shoving her hand over her mouth to stiffle her breathing as the door swung open to the now empty room.

Vision becoming blurry in an instant, as she stared at the pair of strangely familar black shoes in her doorway. Had they come back to finish the job? Had her dad just let them in? A thousand more horrible ideas flooded her mind in an instant before a small voice croaked out. "Britt?"

For the umpteenth time that day, the young blonde let out a strangled cry instantly recognising the voice "Santana?" She managed to croak out amongst tears, and suddenly she was by her side beneath the bed pulling the taller girl into her, a bone crushing embrace as they both pulled at everything they could reach, tears freely flowing down their faces. "You scared the absolute shit out of me! Where the hell is your phone!? Where did you go?!" All these words came out as a rush as Santana pulled the blonde impossibly closer, the shorter woman showing a side of her only Brittnay saw, but this side scared her more than anything, her voice sounded so broken and helpless. "I'm sorry, it must still be in the bathroom, I don't know San. I don't know!" She screamed into the long black hair as she shook in her arms.

Nobody was sure how long had passed before they both settled down some bit, Santana pulling back ever so slightly, taking in everything she could making sure there was no injuries on the younger girl, her eyes darting everywhere as quickly as possible. Her shaky hand having moved from Brittnay's back to softly wipe away the drying tears from the soft cheeks, brown eyes finally met blue. "Why are you here?" The taller girl eventually whispered out, not truly believing she was here, her eyes showing that like always.

Santana let a small smile grace her lips, as she lent forward and pressed a soft kiss to Brittnay's forhead - "I had to make sure you was okay, I couldn't be in New York knowing you needed me." Santana whispered against her skin before placing another kiss, her hand once again moving from Brittnay's cheek to softly tangle in the blonde locks there. "I love you, Britt. So damn much, I don't give a shit about anything else. Just keeping you safe, and happy." She whispered against the blondes ear lobe, her lips brushing against the skin ever so slightly.

Brittnay's hands dug tighter into the darker skinned girls back, willing this to be real and for her to be here with her. He nose moving to press even tighter into the crook of Santana's neck, feeling the erractic beating of the other girls heart against her face was what made her realise this was real. "I love you too San, that's why I phoned you earlier. Before...Before everything." She gasped out as she moved her body tighter to Santana's once again, feeling her body slowly relax into the embrace after what could only be descibed as a hellish nightmare.

Right this second neither girl cared about what happened outside of these four walls, neither worried what tomorrow held, merely only that the other girl was safe, alive and in their arms. Slowly they'd help one another heal, they'd take each step together and hold their heads high. As they both lay in a tight embrace beneath the double bed, surrounded by hundreds of their own memories boxed up. Santana broke the silence to softly sing into Brittnay's ear "For you, there'll be no more cryin', for you, the sun will be shinin'." Knowing she knew the song that snippet was from, feeling the smile pressing into her skin. Santana knew that right now, she had done the right thing in coming here. "Stay with me?" The smiling blonde eventually whispered, her tone taking on a slight hopeful tone as she said those three words, her smiling growing even larger when she heard the instant response uttered. "Forever."

Both girls eventually falling into a dreamless sleep, where they lay beneath the bed, heads pressed tightly into the others shoulder, hands clutching at one another as tight as possible, sure to leave marks but neither caring, both realising they nearly lost something utterly magical today and neither wishing to come close to that experience again.

As horrid as the experience had been, it had shown them what they both wanted and needed in this life, and as they slept clutching one another, they knew they'd always be each others strength.


End file.
